BACOLOD City – “No genuine consultation and relocation, no eviction.”
Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) chairman Undersecretary Noel Kinazo Felongco said this in relation to the city government’s plan to demolish structures that illegal settlers built under Lupit Bridge along Lacson Street.
The city government is eyeing a bridge widening project there. But Mayor Evelio Leonardia said there are 39 families occupying the area.
“We cannot just simply demolish their structures and eject them without clearance from PCUP,” Leonardia said. “We already have the budget. We already have the contract but the construction has been stopped because they are still there.”
The mayor said demolition can only start after the PCUP gives the city government a go-signal.
Felongco and Leonardia met last Wednesday at the Bacolod City Government Center.
According to Felongco, it is the mandate of the PCUP to ensure that consultation is conducted and a relocation site is provided before any demolition starts.
Felongco added that the PCUP will also conduct a survey to determine whether the bridge informal settlers are indeed “underprivileged and homeless.”
He said many pretend to be homeless but are actually not.
“After that (survey), a pre-demolition conference will be conducted. No demolition can take place without it. We will invite affected families and other government agencies. Then we agree on terms and conditions. The purpose is to carry out a demolition that is violence-free,” Felongco added. (With PNA/PN)
